June 17, 2025

EVERYTHING GETS HACKED: U.N. Report Warns Terrorists Could Weaponize Driverless Cars.

The report, Algorithms and Terrorism: The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence for Terrorist Purposes, details ways emerging AI technologies could be weaponised by extremists and was first covered by The Times.

Self-driving cars, drones and other automated systems to target crowded public spaces could all be seized and remotely controlled by terrorists to deliver deadly consequences in crowded public spaces.

“Vehicles, particularly cars, vans and trucks, have long been used in terrorist attacks,” the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism warned.

It added: “Reflecting on the extensive history of terrorism and vehicles, ­increased autonomy in cars could well be an amenable development for terrorist groups, ­allowing them to effectively carry out one of their most traditional types of attacks remotely, without the need for a follower to sacrifice his or her life or risk being apprehended.”

I gave a similar warning last week — no hacks required: How the Rioters Blew It. “Imagine a few dozen strategically-placed rioters hailing Waymos to the intersections and bridges necessary to completely cut off part of a city — and then setting them ablaze. An EV can burn for hours without major intervention, thanks to a process called thermal runaway.”

Posted at 9:37 am by Stephen Green 0

SHOCKER:

Posted at 9:29 am by Glenn Reynolds 17

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Randi Weingarten Will Still Have Plenty of Pull at the DNC. “Randi Weingarten is one of the most evil women in American politics. She’s also one of the most influential on the Democrats’ side of the aisle. There’s likely to be far more fallout for Ken Martin and the rest of the current DNC hierarchy over Weingarten’s departure than there will be for her.”

Posted at 9:06 am by Stephen Green 21

THE SANCTUARY STATE CONFEDERACY: “Most Americans think of the Civil War as an unambiguous conflict between the North and the South over slavery, and that is generally accurate. It was an insurrection against the federal government committed by 11 states whose Democrat governors and legislators feared that the recently elected Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, would deprive them of their non-citizen labor force. These state officials vowed to resist any attempt by the federal government to put down their rebellion and routinely denounced the new president as an aspiring dictator. Why does this sound familiar?”

Posted at 8:55 am by Glenn Reynolds 82

UM… FAVORING BY RACE IS ILLEGAL, ACTUALLY:

Posted at 8:49 am by Stephen Green 88

THAT WOULD BE NICE, BUT…: Here’s a Thought: A Killer’s Politics Shouldn’t Matter at All.

Just minutes after Vance Boelter, 57, was caught, disarmed and arrested in a field near his Green Isle, Minnesota home by one of the 20 SWAT teams that had been searching tirelessly for him, the legacy media began speculating about his personal politics and motivations.

Boelter was an extreme threat who had a lengthy list of additional victims. Police said they found three AK-47s and a 9mm Beretta handgun in his SUV, which he left at his second crime scene after committing two murders.

As a native Minnesotan who grew up hunting and fishing in L’etoile du Nord Boelter’s horrific killings should be difficult for me to understand, but as an ex-cop I don’t even bother. We will probably never understand his true motive(s), and all the media blather about his personal politics is just a waste of our time.

I’m much more concerned about his victims and their families: Minnesota DFL (Democratic Farmer Labor Party) leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, both of whom Boelter assassinated, and state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who were both horribly wounded but will likely survive.

It would be nice not to focus on the political motivations of these murderers, but with most of the political violence coming from the Left, I’m not sure how wise that would be.

Posted at 8:35 am by Stephen Green 95

SETH BARRETT TILLMAN: Trump-47 and the Vacant Article III Judicial Posts.

There are some 60 vacant Article III (federal) judicial posts. Trump-47 has put forward four nominees for vacant federal district court positions (all in Missouri), and he has put forward one nominee for a vacant federal appellate position (in the Sixth Circuit). There are five (other) vacant federal appellate positions without any nominees, and there are 50 vacant federal district court positions without any nominees. Additionally, there is one vacant Article I judicial post in the United States District Court for the Virgin Islands. It too lacks a nominee.

There are eight vacant federal district court positions in TEXAS without any nominees. FLORIDA has five vacant federal district court positions. Both LOUISIANA and NORTH CAROLINA have four vacant federal district court positions. Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina—each has two Republican U.S. Senators.

All the extant Trump-47 nominees were submitted on May 12, 2025. There has been no activity in over a month.

What’s the holdup, guys?

Posted at 7:56 am by Glenn Reynolds 71

HMM:

China buys 80-90% of Iran’s oil exports — often using questionable methods to avoids sanctions, and presumably at a discount.

Whatever change is coming, Beijing presumably isn’t happy about it.

Posted at 7:48 am by Stephen Green 47

THE ECONOMICS OF WAR: Israel’s air superiority lets it strike Iran on the cheap — and force Tehran into costly retaliation.

The effective Israeli strikes on Iranian air defenses and military airports “will degrade Iran’s ability to restrict Israeli operations in its airspace,” the Institute for the Study of War, a conflict studies think tank in Washington, DC, said on Sunday.

Weapons analysts have identified Israeli fighter jets armed with Joint Direct Attack Munitions. JDAMs, which are made by the US defense contractor Boeing, are dumb bombs fitted with relatively cheap guidance kits that turn them into precision-guided munitions. These weapons are not considered stand-off weapons.

Analysts have also spotted Israeli aircraft armed with SPICE bombs. Like JDAMs, guidance kits that turn dumb bombs into precision weapons. They are made by the local defense firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

Open-source intelligence accounts have noted the use of JDAMs and SPICE — which stands for Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective — bombs in the airstrikes across Iran, including around Tehran. Israel’s ability to fire these munitions suggests it is less concerned about defenses and does not necessarily have to employ its more expensive missiles for high-value targets. It has more options.

It’s nice to have affordable options.

Posted at 7:33 am by Stephen Green 54

TRUTH:

Posted at 7:30 am by Glenn Reynolds 32

AND SPEAKING OF THE WASHINGTON STAND: California officials have shoveled tens of millions of tax dollars to five key Far Left non-profit activist groups that are supporting the violent and continuing anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles and elsewhere across the nation.

Posted at 7:12 am by Mark Tapscott 17

KERSHAW REMINDS MLB WHO CREATED THE RAINBOW: You may have seen one of the several Major League Baseball team “celebrations” of Pride Month. Los Angeles Dodgers’ star pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s response to the LGBQTetc.etc.etc. tyrants reintroduced them to a hugely significant fact, as The Washington Stand’s Suzanne Bowdey explains.

Posted at 7:09 am by Mark Tapscott 9